Smartphone Influence on Young Singaporean Tourists' Experiences

This report investigates the influence of smartphones on the tourist experience of young Singaporean adults, examining their travel preferences, smartphone usage, and concerns regarding data privacy. The study, based on a quantitative method, reveals that most tourists are aged between 18 and 27, prefer traveling in small groups with friends or family, and consider smartphones essential for their travels. Key findings highlight the use of smartphones for travel planning, navigation, and sharing experiences. The report also addresses the importance of internet connectivity, Wi-Fi access, and the impact of smartphones on enhancing overall tourist experiences. Despite awareness of data collection, the majority of respondents still share personal data with companies. The conclusion emphasizes the significant role of smartphones in modern tourism, including the importance of data privacy for young Singaporean tourists.

Findings and
discussion
Key focus:


Who is the tourist?
Respondents
Chose to respond Did not Choose to respond
Male Female
18-21 22-27 28-31 32-35
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Age
Age
Employment status
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Full-time employed Part-time employed
Full-time student Unemployed
Others
 65% of the respondents are male and
35% were female.
 Majority of the respondents are
between 22-27 years of age most of
them are full-time students.

Travelling preference
• Majority (72%) prefers to travel
in small groups (3-5 people),
followed by two people in
second place. This is supported
by the response that majority
like to travel with friends or
family followed by couple.
Travel party
Self Couple Friends
Family Organised travel party

Usage of Smartphone
75% agree that smartphones are essential when travelling.
Use • 72% claims to be familiar with most features on
their smartphones
• 81% agreed it helps to share experiences using
social media
• 30% of the people do not use digital assistants
( Google assistant, Siri) and take pictures on their
devices often.
Connectivity • 75% agree they’re regularly connected to the
internet.
• 84% prefers to have WIFI connectivity at most
tourist attractions.
• 74% agree that smartphone makes them aware of
their surroundings.
• 71% use GPS based apps while travelling.
16%
9%
75%
Importance of
smartphone while
travelling Not important
Neutral
Very Important
Important
Sometimes
Not Important
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
WiFi Connectivity

Tourist Experience
• 90% agree that smartphones
enhances their tourist experiences.
• 77% use it to plan travel itinerary
while 67% use it for ride hailing
services.
• 80% agree that smartphones
improves quality of travel
experience through usage of
various apps and also helps coping
up with unexpected situations.

Privacy
Approve
Neutral
Disaprove
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Data sharing and privacy
Shares data Neutral Disapprove data collection
61% people claim to be aware of the negative
impacts of smartphones.
90% people says privacy is of utmost
importance out of which 78% did not
approve data collection by the companies
through various websites and apps.
50% of the people likes to share personal
details such as location and browsing history
with the companies in order to help them
improve their services.
85% of the respondents are aware of the
apps and websites collecting their personal
data but still chooses to use them as 89%
admitted they still do it.

Conclusions
 Most of the tourists were young Singaporeans aged between 18 and 27 years
 Most refer traveling in groups of between 3 and 5 (55%) while 65% prefer with family and / or
friends
 Most find their smart-phones as a very useful companion during their travels but don't use
virtual assistants
 They use their smart-phones to plan travel itineraries, awareness of their surrounding (74%),
Internet access, booking rides, and finding directions
 A majority of young Singaporeans believe that a smart-phone greatly enhances their tourism
experience
 Data privacy matters to them with most not wanting their private data to be used by others